Purpose of the Position
Under the overall guidance of the Deputy Representative, the incumbent is accountable for the development, design, planning, implementation and management of the Child Development and Education programme within the country programme
S/he is to promote inter-sectoral and innovative partnerships in order to ensure that progress benefits education and other programmes, in particular child protection, youth participation, communication for development and Social policy. Collaborates across the programme(s) to ensure gender mainstreaming.
Lastly, as the Chief of Child Development and Education Section, the incumbent must provide guidance and synergize the formulation and coordination of UNICEF's Education in Emergencies (EiE) strategic response to the Syrian crisis in Turkey, in light of the specificities and crisis management capacities of Turkish authorities.
S/he is to promote inter-sectoral and innovative partnerships in order to ensure that progress benefits education and other programmes, in particular child protection, youth participation, communication for development and Social policy. Collaborates across the programme(s) to ensure gender mainstreaming.
Lastly, as the Chief of Child Development and Education Section, the incumbent must provide guidance and synergize the formulation and coordination of UNICEF's Education in Emergencies (EiE) strategic response to the Syrian crisis in Turkey, in light of the specificities and crisis management capacities of Turkish authorities.
Key Expected Results
1. Promotion of UNICEF Global Goals and Commitments:
Promote the organization goals of UNICEF through advocacy, policy dialogue and system strengthening in the education sector, by actively engaging in policy advice and technical assistance to support the development of and adherence to national standards that promote children's rights to quality education and learning in accordance with UNICEF's mission and shared global commitments. Also support the leveraging and efficient management of resources from the public and private sectors, including global partnerships and the management of these resources in certain circumstances.
2. Effective Programme Planning, Development and Management:
Manage the UNICEF Education programme including early learning, school readiness, and child development effectively through strong technical leadership in sector analysis, programme planning and monitoring and evaluation in accordance with UNICEF strategic priorities and contextual realities and comparative advantage on the ground. Actively seek evidence of best practice from global and local sources, support the development and scale up of innovative solutions, and seek to generate robust evidence through testing and evaluation.
3. Knowledge Leadership and Management:
Enhance the evidence base for education sector policy and planning, as well as local, regional and global knowledge of UNICEF's contribution to the education sector, including through social media where appropriate with other key partners, not least to enhance understanding of issues of equity, quality and learning in education, and also in terms of multiple deprivations (poverty, gender, location, conflict, ethnicity, disability, health, nutrition and education status). This includes the rigorous modelling of innovations for potential scaling up in country, the generation and use of education data, and dissemination beyond borders.
4. Rights-Based and Equity Focused Programming:
Promote rights-based education programming and the equity and learning agenda through supporting the formulation of appropriate goals, strategies and approaches and their elaboration in evidence based theories of change, results frameworks, plans and monitoring and evaluation frameworks that allow the disaggregation of data from an equity perspective.
5. Sectoral Work Plan Development and Implementation:
Responsible for development and implementation of the education programme and work plan in country, which reflects UNICEF's contribution to global and national education goals and priorities.
6. Programme Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting:
Ensure efficiency and effectiveness in programme delivery through promoting a rigorous and transparent approach to monitoring and evaluation, including participation in major evaluation exercises, programme and sector reviews with government counterparts and other stakeholders and support for capacity development of government and other partners in M&E. Contributes to global reporting on UNICEF's overall education portfolio through the provision of timely data and evidence consistent with technical guidelines.
7. Programme Accountability:
Coordinates with Operations on supply and non-supply assistance activities ensuring accountability of UNICEF, Government and other partners in compliance with UNICEF regulations and guidelines.
8. Communication, Collaboration, Networking and Partnership:
Externally: Works with government and other in-country partners to support the development and monitoring of national policies and plans that promote equity and enhanced learning outcomes.
Internally: provides technical and policy advice to the Deputy Representative to support the Child Development and Education issues, including strategies, and policies at national and country levels, collaborates with Programme Communication and Communications for Development on materials and strategies to enhance advocacy and awareness, shares information with the Regional Office and HQ when appropriate to ensure coherence and dissemination of good practice.
9. Capacity development:
Provides technical support and guidance on appropriate technical, financial and institutional capacity building measures with Government and other partners when appropriate. ,
10. Emergency response:
In line with the Core Commitments for Children (CCCs) in Humanitarian Action, ensures timely and effective responses to emergency situations especially as a response to the Syrian Crisis in Turkey. This includes the coordination with Education Cluster partnerships when required and the promotion of Disaster Risk Reduction in Education programming.
Promote the organization goals of UNICEF through advocacy, policy dialogue and system strengthening in the education sector, by actively engaging in policy advice and technical assistance to support the development of and adherence to national standards that promote children's rights to quality education and learning in accordance with UNICEF's mission and shared global commitments. Also support the leveraging and efficient management of resources from the public and private sectors, including global partnerships and the management of these resources in certain circumstances.
2. Effective Programme Planning, Development and Management:
Manage the UNICEF Education programme including early learning, school readiness, and child development effectively through strong technical leadership in sector analysis, programme planning and monitoring and evaluation in accordance with UNICEF strategic priorities and contextual realities and comparative advantage on the ground. Actively seek evidence of best practice from global and local sources, support the development and scale up of innovative solutions, and seek to generate robust evidence through testing and evaluation.
3. Knowledge Leadership and Management:
Enhance the evidence base for education sector policy and planning, as well as local, regional and global knowledge of UNICEF's contribution to the education sector, including through social media where appropriate with other key partners, not least to enhance understanding of issues of equity, quality and learning in education, and also in terms of multiple deprivations (poverty, gender, location, conflict, ethnicity, disability, health, nutrition and education status). This includes the rigorous modelling of innovations for potential scaling up in country, the generation and use of education data, and dissemination beyond borders.
4. Rights-Based and Equity Focused Programming:
Promote rights-based education programming and the equity and learning agenda through supporting the formulation of appropriate goals, strategies and approaches and their elaboration in evidence based theories of change, results frameworks, plans and monitoring and evaluation frameworks that allow the disaggregation of data from an equity perspective.
5. Sectoral Work Plan Development and Implementation:
Responsible for development and implementation of the education programme and work plan in country, which reflects UNICEF's contribution to global and national education goals and priorities.
6. Programme Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting:
Ensure efficiency and effectiveness in programme delivery through promoting a rigorous and transparent approach to monitoring and evaluation, including participation in major evaluation exercises, programme and sector reviews with government counterparts and other stakeholders and support for capacity development of government and other partners in M&E. Contributes to global reporting on UNICEF's overall education portfolio through the provision of timely data and evidence consistent with technical guidelines.
7. Programme Accountability:
Coordinates with Operations on supply and non-supply assistance activities ensuring accountability of UNICEF, Government and other partners in compliance with UNICEF regulations and guidelines.
8. Communication, Collaboration, Networking and Partnership:
Externally: Works with government and other in-country partners to support the development and monitoring of national policies and plans that promote equity and enhanced learning outcomes.
Internally: provides technical and policy advice to the Deputy Representative to support the Child Development and Education issues, including strategies, and policies at national and country levels, collaborates with Programme Communication and Communications for Development on materials and strategies to enhance advocacy and awareness, shares information with the Regional Office and HQ when appropriate to ensure coherence and dissemination of good practice.
9. Capacity development:
Provides technical support and guidance on appropriate technical, financial and institutional capacity building measures with Government and other partners when appropriate. ,
10. Emergency response:
In line with the Core Commitments for Children (CCCs) in Humanitarian Action, ensures timely and effective responses to emergency situations especially as a response to the Syrian Crisis in Turkey. This includes the coordination with Education Cluster partnerships when required and the promotion of Disaster Risk Reduction in Education programming.
Qualifications of Successful Candidate
Advanced university degree in one or more of the disciplines relevant to the following areas: Education; Primary Education, or Social Sciences fields relevant to international development assistance.*
Some demonstrative capacity to identify and monitor gender and other inequalities, as well as develop and implement gender mainstreaming in programmes.
Eight years of relevant work experience at national and international levels in fields relevant to Education programmes.
Experience working in the UN or other international development organization an asset.
Familiarity with Emergency.
Fluency in English and a second UN language. Fluency in both Arabic and Turkish highly desirable.
*A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Some demonstrative capacity to identify and monitor gender and other inequalities, as well as develop and implement gender mainstreaming in programmes.
Eight years of relevant work experience at national and international levels in fields relevant to Education programmes.
Experience working in the UN or other international development organization an asset.
Familiarity with Emergency.
Fluency in English and a second UN language. Fluency in both Arabic and Turkish highly desirable.
*A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Competencies of Successful Candidate
Communicates effectively to varied audiences, including during formal public speaking.
Able to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment.
Sets high standards for quality of work and consistently achieves project goals.
Has good leadership and supervisory skills; co-ordinates group activities, ensuring that roles within the team are clear.
Translates strategic direction into plans and objectives.
Analyzes and integrates diverse and complex quantitative and qualitative data from a wide range of sources.
Quickly builds rapport with individuals and groups; maintains an effective network of individuals across organizational departments.
Identifies urgent and potentially difficult decisions and acts on them promptly; initiates and generates team- and department-wide activities.
Demonstrates, applies and shares expert technical knowledge across the organization.
Able to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment.
Sets high standards for quality of work and consistently achieves project goals.
Has good leadership and supervisory skills; co-ordinates group activities, ensuring that roles within the team are clear.
Translates strategic direction into plans and objectives.
Analyzes and integrates diverse and complex quantitative and qualitative data from a wide range of sources.
Quickly builds rapport with individuals and groups; maintains an effective network of individuals across organizational departments.
Identifies urgent and potentially difficult decisions and acts on them promptly; initiates and generates team- and department-wide activities.
Demonstrates, applies and shares expert technical knowledge across the organization.
